Analects 7.25
The Analects (論語), BOOK VII. SHU R 述而第七
子曰、聖人吾不得而見之矣、得見君子者、斯可矣。子曰、善人吾不得而見之矣、得見有恆者、斯可矣。亡而爲有、虛而爲盈、約而爲泰、難乎有恆矣。
1. The Master said, "A sage it is not mine to see; could I see a man of real talent and virtue, that would satisfy me."
2. The Master said, "A good man it is not mine to see; could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.
3. "Having not and yet affecting to have, empty and yet affecting to be full, straitened and yet affecting to be at ease:—it is difficult with such characteristics to have constancy."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 人rénman, person; people
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 恆héngconstant, persistent, regular
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 虛xūfalse; worthless, hollow, empty; vain
- 盈yíngfull, overflowing; surplus; to fill
- 約yuētreaty, covenant, agreement
- 泰tàigreat, exalted, superior; calm; big
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.